Article sorting machine



March 13, 1956 w. A. GUEF'FROY ARTICLE SORTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1952 March 13, 1956 Filed Nov. 28, 1952 w. A. GUEFFROY 2,738,066

ARTICLE SORTING MACHINE 3' Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. WA! 725? 14. 6047/90) A TTOE/VEYS March 1956 w. A. GUEF'FROY mucus. SORTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 28, 1952 Hiiiii HHl Hlm INVENTOR am we ,4. GUEf/POY M F24 M M42 Wan A TTOE/VEYS United States Patent 10 ARTICLE SORTING MACHINE Walter A. Gneifroy, Roslyn Heights, N. Y., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 28, 1952, Serial No. 322,927

6 Claims. (Cl. 209-104) The present invention relates to sorting machines for segregating articles such as filled containers or the like in accordance with normal and abnormal height dimensions and has particular reference to such a machine wherein the articles are maintained in an upright position during the sorting operations.

In the packing of beer and certain other pressure products in sheet metal cans or containers, the pasteurizing process sometimes creates considerable internal pressure which results in excessive outward bulging of one or more Wall members of the cans such as the end closures. Such distorted cans are unmarketable and must be segregated from the normal cans. During the inspection of the filled cans to detect those having bulged or distorted end members it is highly important to prevent undue agitation of the contents since such agitation greatly aggravates the internal pressure condition of the cans. It has been found that this agitation of the can contents is greatly prevented or at least minimized when the cans are handled in an upright position rather than in a horizontal or rolling position.

An object, therefore, of the instant invention is the provision of a sorting machine for cans and the like wherein the cans are maintained in normal upright position so as to reduce to a minimum the agitation of the contents of the cans and to thereby prevent aggravation of the internal pressure conditions of the cans.

Another object is the provision of such a sorting machine wherein bulged end members of cans moving in an upright position may be readily and accurately detected and utilized to segregate the bulged end abnormal cans from unbulged end normal cans so that the abnormal cans may be withheld from market.

chine wherein the upright positioned cans are retained under magnetic attraction to guide the cans and assist in the segregation of the abnormal cans from the normal cans.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of a sorting machine embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine, shown in Fig. 1 with portions broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away and showing the position of a normal can passing through the machine; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similarto Fig. 3 and taken along the line 44 of Fig. l and showing the position of abnormal cans prior to their ejection.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the invention the drawings illustrate a machine for sorting filled and sealed sheet metal cans A having normally substantially flat tops and bottoms or end members B, from cans in which the end members may be abnormally bulged due to excess pressure in the cans.

The filled and sealed cans A are received from any suitable source of supply, such asa pasteurizer or other machine and are advanced by a connecting conveyor D (Fig. 1) in an upright position and in a substantially continuous procession in timed or untimed order, along a straight line path of travel. As the cans advance with the conveyor they are diverted to a horizontal rotatable transfer wheel or support member E which is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. During a portion of their travel with the transfer wheel E the cans are guided so as to divert them to a horizontal rotatable sorting or segregating table or member F (Fig. 2) which is located adjacent the transfer wheel E and is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1.

The cans A transferred by the wheel E to the table F, may contain abnormal cans having their end members bulged and normal cans on which the end members are substantially flat. In order to detect the abnormal cans from the normal cans, the table F is disposed in spaced relation to a sorting or segregating disc G mounted above it a distance substantially equal to the height of a normal can. The underside of the disc G is provided with a circumferentially disposed bevel or chamfer H. The normal cans travel between the clearance space of table F and disc G while the abnormal cans contact the chamfer H and are thereby prevented from advancing along the same path of travel as the normal cans.

With the abnormal cans A held at the peripheral edges of the table F and disc G and supported on a table C they are diverted to an abnormal can chute I where they may be guided to any suitable place of deposit. The normal cans A which clear the vertical space between the table F and disc G are attracted to a guide which directs them toward the center of the table F and away from the abnormal can chute I by containerattracting guides or magnets I so that the normal cans continue to a normal can outlet K. At this outlet the normal cans are transferred to a discharge wheel L which returns them to the conveyor D.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings it will be noted (Fig. 1) that the conveyor D preferably comprises an endless belt which extends the full length of the machine and which operates over a pulley 10 mounted on a stub shaft 11 journaled in bearing blocks 12 located at the discharge end of the machine and secured to a main frame 13. The upper run of the belt on which the cans rest is supported by a table 14 which is attached to and extends along one side of the frame 13. The stub shaft 11 is driven continuously by an endless chain 16 which operates over a sprocket 17 carried on the stub shaft 11 and a sprocket 13 which is mounted on a drive shaft 15. The drive shaft 15 is journaled in bearing blocks 26 carried on the frame 13 and may be driven in any suitable manner preferably through a gear 22.

The drive shaft 15 is utilized for driving the transfer wheel E, the discharge wheel L and the sorting table F in synchronism in the following manner. The sorting table F and disc G are mounted on a vertical shaft 23 (Fig. 2) which is journaled in a bearing 24 formed in the frame 13. The shaft 23 is driven by the drive shaft 15' through a pair of miter gears 26, 27 carried on the shaft 23 and the shaft 15 respectively. The transfer wheel E and the discharge wheel L are mounted on idler shafts 28, 29 carried in bosses 31,- 32 respectively formed on the frame 13. The wheels E and L are rotated by and in synchronism with the sorting table F through gears 33, 34, 35, mounted on the lower ends of the shafts 28, 23 and 29, respectively.

Deflection or diversion of the cans from the conveyor Dto"tlie'tlai'isfei'wheel E preferably is effected by "a pair of spaced and parallel guide rails 37, 38 (Fig. 1) which extend along the outer edges of the conveyor D. As best shown in Fig. 1 these guide rails 37, 38 adjacent the wheel E extend at an angle away from the conveyor and project over the wheel E in vertically spaced relation thereto. The guide rail 38 terminates in a position substantially tangent to the wheel E while the rail 37 continues to a position substantially adjacent the abnormal can chute I. These guide rails guide the cans while on the conveyor D and the wheel E and during transfer of the cans from the conveyor to the wheel E.

Normal cans which pass between the segregating table F and disc G and into the outlet K and are received on the discharge wheel L for return to the conveyor D as explained hereinbefore, are guided by a pair of spaced and parallel curved guide rails 40, 41 which start at substantially the normal can outlet K and extend between "the table F, disc G and over the wheel L and terminate in parallel positions on opposite sides of the conveyor D as shown in Fig. 1. The abnormal can chute 1' is disposed adjacent the normal can outlet K as viewed in Fig. 1. The abnormal cans are diverted into this chute by a pair of spaced guide rails 42, 43 which extend beyond the table F. The guide rail 42 preferably is a continuation of the inner guide rail 37 while the guide rail 43 connects with the guide rail 41 to form a dividing wall between the abnormal can chute I and the normal can outlet K.

The magnets J hereinbefore referred to preferably are straight rectangular shaped permanent horseshoe magnets (see Fig. l) and are mounted on a plate 45 secured toa bracket 46 which is mounted on the frame 13 adjacent the wheel E. The plate 45 carrying the magnets J is fastened between the ends of the guide rails 36 and 50 by screws 67 which threadedly engage the plate '45 to form one continuous rail for guiding the normal cans.

There are two rows of magnets I, one row above and one below the connected rails 38, 40 as shown in Fig. 2 and they extend from a position substantially tangent to the wheel E to a position near the center of the table F and disc G as seen in Fig. 1.

As the cans A in the procession are diverted from the conveyor D to the transfer wheel E they are removed from the transfer wheel E by the magnets I. The cans of normal height dimensions, i. e. without bulged end members, travel between the table F and disc G as seen in Fig. 3, and are guided away from the abnormal can 'chute I by magnets J. The normal cans A are held by the magnets J against centrifugal force and are guidediinto the normal can outlet K to a'positicn past the dividing r wall between the abnormal can chute I and normal can outlet K. From this point the normal cans A travel on the table Fand are guided by the rails 40, 41 to the dis charge wheel L. The wheel L carries the normal cans A the samemanner as the normal cans but due to their abnormal height caused by the bulge in the end closure they cannot enter between the table F and disc G as did the cans of normal height dimensions and therefore wedge themselves between the table F and charnfer H as seen in Figs. 4- and 5. The abnormal cans so wedged are stripped from the container attracting guides or magnets -J by the rotation of the table F and disc G and travel on .the outer peripheral edges of the table F and disc G while being supported 'on the table C. A wedged can traveling with the table F and disc G engages the rail "43 :andis thereby forced out of its wedged positionand into 4 the abnormal can 'ch'u'te I'whi'ch discharges the abnormal can to any suitable place of deposit segregated from the normal cans as hereinbefore explained.

it is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hcreinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a machine for sorting abnormal containers having bulged ends .from normal containers without bulged ends, the combination of conveyor means for advancing containers in upright position, a horizontally rotatable table adjacent said conveyor means for receiving said upright containers thereon, a container attracting guide adjacent one side of said conveyor means and extending over said table for attracting said containers to the guide and directing them toward a central portion of the table, a disc movable with and disposed above said table in spaced relation thereto a predetermined distance for receiving normal height containers between said table and said disc and for stripping abnormal height containers ends, the combination of a horizontally rotatable table for receiving containers in an upright position, a disc movable with and disposed above said table in spaced relation thereto a predetermined distance for receiving normal height containers between said table and said disc and for excluding abnormal height containers, magnetic means for retaining normal height containers on said table, a normal container outlet adjacent said rotatable table for receiving the normal height containers from said magnetic means, and an abnormal container chute disposed adjacent-said table for receiving the excluded abnormal height containers to segregate the abnormal containers from the normal height containers.

3. In a machine for sorting abnormal containers having bulged ends from normal containers without bulged ends, the combination of conveyor means for advancing containers in upright position, a horizontally rotatable table adjacent said conveyor means for receiving said upright containers thereon, a container attracting guide adjacent oneside of said conveyor means and extending over said table for attracting said containers to the guide and directing them toward a central portion of the table, a'disc disposed above said table in spaced relation thereto a distance equal to at least the height of said normal container for receiving normal height containers between said table and said disc, 2. normal container outlet adjacent said table for receiving normal height containers in an upright position from said table, means on the periphery of said disc for wcdging abnormal containers between ,said rotatable table and disc thereby stripping them from movable with and disposed above said table in spaced relation thereto a'predetermined distance for receiving normal height containers between said table and said disc, said disc having an inclined face portion for wedging abnormal height containers between said table and said disc, magnetic means for directing normal height containers on said table toward its center, a normal container outlet adjacent the center of said rotatable table and disposed between said disc and said table for receiving the normal height containers directed by said magnetic means, and an abnormal container chute disposed adjacent the outer edge of said table for receiving the abnormal height containers wedged between said table and said disc.

5. In a machine for sorting abnormal containers having bulged ends from normal containers without bulged ends, the combination of conveyor means for advancing containers in upright position, a horizontally rotatable table adjacent said conveyor means for receiving said upright containers thereon, a containerattracting guide adjacent one side of said conveyor means and extending over said table for attracting said containers to the guide and directing them toward a central portion of the table, a disc movable with and disposed above said table in spaced relation thereto a predetermined distance for receiving normal height containers between said table and said disc and for stripping abnormal height containers from said container attracting guide, a normal container outlet adjacent said rotatable table for receiving the normal height containers in an upright position from said table, means adjacent said conveyor and said table for supporting said abnormal height containers stripped from the guide, and an abnormal container chute disposed adjacent said table for receiving the abnormal height containers to segregate them from the normal height containers.

6. In a machine for sorting abnormal containers having bulged ends from normal containers without bulged ends, the combination of a horizontally disposed conveyor for carrying containers in an upright position and in processional order, a pair of horizontally disposed rotatable members located rsmotely from said conveyor and spaced apart vertically a distance substantially equal to the height of normal containers for receiving normal height containers between them and for excluding abnormal height containers, means for diverting said procession of containers from said conveyor toward said rotatable members, said diverting means including a container attracting guide extending between said rotatable members for attracting the diverted containers to the guide and directing them to a central portion of said rotatable members, a normal height container outlet and an abnormal height container outlet disposed adjacent said rotatable members, means for guiding normal height containers from said central portion between said rotatable members and into said normal height container outlet, means for receiving normal height containers from said normal container outlet and for returning them to said conveyor for discharge, and means adjacent said rotatable members for guiding said excluded abnormal height containers into said abnormal height container outlet to segregate them from said normal height containers.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,122,242 Augensen Dec. 29, 1914 1,485,895 Thompson Mar. 4, 1924 1,485,896 Thompson Mar. 4, 1924 1,492,867 Thompson May 6, 1924 1,941,153 Peyser Dec. 26, 1933 2,264,348 Weygant Dec. 2, 1941 2,364,187 Birdsall Dec. 5, 1944 2,400,507 Henszey et a1. May 21, 1946 2,643,766 Nordquist June 30, 1953 

